Fallingwater Dining Table

When it was time to design my table, there was only one choice for the inspiration. As a graduate of architectural design, I’ve always been fascinated with Frank Lloyd Wright. I spent a lot of time with my nose buried in books about “Fallingwater”, his masterpiece.

Then I went there….

It was amazing! The entire house seems to have grown from the rock all on it’s own. I returned from the trip and wrote my final paper on Fallingwater. Since then I’ve returned several times, and hope to go again very soon.

My goal was a table design that would include many of the grand design features of Fallingwater on a smaller scale, and still be a functional and attractive piece. Here’s what I came up with:

The table measures 76” long, 44” wide, and 30” tall. The panels and curves of the top are reflected in the porch roof at Fallingwater. The full radius I used on the table top edge is also found in many places.

In the main room at Fallingwater is a large fireplace. The hearth of the fireplace is actually the top of the boulder used in the foundation of the house rising from the floor. Just as that hearth serves as the centerpiece for the house, I chose stone as the centerpiece for my table. Also, the framework of the table top curves around the centerpiece in much the same way that the concrete beams in the picture below curve around a tree found at Fallingwater.

The table top frame is made of Cherry, and the stone sits on a Bloodwood base. I thought the Bloodwood did a nice job representing the red metalwork found at Fallingwater.

And the panels on the table top….Waterfall Bubinga of course!

The table apron is made up of an upper and lower apron. The lower apron, made of Cherry, features extended double through tenons in the joinery. This picture of one of the terrace supports at Fallingwater inspired the tenons.

The upper apron, made of Bloodwood, is meant to tie in the long, red runs of window frames at Fallingwater. These long sets of contrasting frames, along with the terraces, serve to give Fallingwater the impression of being very wide and low to the ground….even though the main house is 3 stories!

The legs of the table are made of Cherry, tapering to the floor while angling out to provide a more stable base for the table top. The top itself extends past the base assembly quite a bit…cantilevers are the heart of Fallingwater!

The leg supports are intended to resemble the supports found below Fallingwater in shape, and in that they are wider at the top and taper towards the bottom.

I hope you all like it!

-- Can't never did nothin' - Grampa Knapp